Usage & Mechanics
|
Skill #4: Conventions of Usage: Correct Usage of Homonyms
|
LEARNING TARGET(S):
I can recognize and use the appropriate word in frequently confused pairs.
|
College Readiness Standards: 16-19: Recognize and use the appropriate word in frequently confused pairs such as there and their, past and passed, and led and lead.
|
Kentucky Academic Standards:
L.CCR.1- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
L.CCR.2- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation and spelling when writing.
W.CCR.5- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach
|
FOR THE TEACHER:
Homonyms are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. For example, the words 'aisle' and 'isle', 'ate' and 'eight' and 'cent' and 'scent' are all homonyms.
Learning the proper use of homonyms with upper elementary words involves a lot of memorization; however, learning about common roots, suffixes and prefixes can make working with homonyms easier.
Using context clues is another helpful way to determine the different meanings of homonyms. For instance, in the sentence, 'I ate eight sandwiches,' it's clear that 'ate' is functioning as a verb and 'eight' refers to the number of sandwiches. Similarly, consider this sentence: 'The dog picked up the criminal's scent.' Here, your child will likely be able to tell that the dog didn't pick up a coin, but rather, the criminal's smell.
|
Teaching Activities:
|
Activity #1: Wacky Words We Love to Misuse
|
Read this paragraph aloud. Then hand the paragraph out to students to correct the errors.
I am sure that everyone of you all ready knows that spoken English and written English are sometimes very difficult that each other. What sounds fine to the ear sometimes looks weak, informal, or even dumb on paper. For example, we say “I should of eaten my veggies,” but what we are suppose to write is this: “I should have eaten my veggies.” We are so use to seeing and hearing certain words and phrases misused that we often don’t even notice them when we proofread our papers. However, if you plan on getting A’s on a lot of your language arts papers, you better learn to spot these sorts of goofs. What are these sneaky, wacky words? Read on! I insure you that if you read this, you will discover that their are quite a few words which you are misusing.
Did the paragraph sound fine to you? It probably did, but it was filled with wacky words—words we often use in speech and writing that are wrong. How many wacky words did you catch in the paragraph?
This
should be this
everyone of you
every one of you
all ready knows
already knows
different than each other
different from each other
suppose to write
supposed to write
use to seeing
used to seeing
plan in getting A’s
plan to get A’s
alot
a lot
you better learn
you had better learn
I insure you
I assure you
their are
there are
which you are misusing
that you are misusing
|
Activity 2: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
|
Using models such as Fred Gwynne’s The King Who Rained, A Chocolate Moose for Dinner and A Little Pigeon Toad, have students create illustrations that play on the confusion of homonyms.
Homophones are words that sound alike but are spelled differently or have multiple meanings, and these books are full of them!! In The King Who Rained, a little girl explains all the odd things she hears her family say, like "Daddy says he has a mole on his nose". The accompanying illustration has a tall, thin man (who looks profoundly like Mr. Gwynne himself) with a small, brown, furry subterranean mammal perched on his nose. Similarly, the girl's mother is "a little horse" sometimes and asks for the throat spray ("when I bring it to her, she calls me a little deer"). The title of the book itself is a wonderful play on words as well.
|
Additional Resources
|
http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html
http://a4esl.org/q/h/homonyms.html
|
Usage & Mechanics
|
Skill #1: Conventions of Punctuation: Comma Trauma
|
LEARNING TARGET(S):
I can delete unnecessary commas from a passage
I can delete commas that create basic sense problems. (e.g., between verb and direct object)
|
College Readiness Standards: Conventions of Punctuation: (1-12) Learn to recognize when commas are overused
Conventions of Punctuation: (13-15) Delete commas that create basic sense problems (e.g., between verb and direct object)
|
Kentucky Academic Standards:
L.CCR.1- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
L.CCR.2- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation and spelling when writing.
W.CCR.5- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach
|
FOR THE TEACHER:
Lesson Outline: Although the most basic ACT College Readiness Standard is to “learn to recognize when commas are overused”, this is much more challenging to the struggling student than it sounds. If the student is not in command of basic comma rules, then they are unable to recognize overuse. Therefore, a review of the basic comma rules may be the first step needed.
There are many resources available to assist you in basic comma review. Common textbooks, such as the Holt Handbook, are always an excellent source of rules, explanations, and practice exercises.
A good on-line resource developed by Capital Community College is also available at grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas_big.htm
This free, interactive site includes an explanation of the basic rules with examples, supplemented by a power point and quizzes.
Depending on the level of need in the classroom (which could be determined based on the results of Activity #1 OR work on the Capital Community College website), you could use these activities in the order they are presented, or you could pull activities as needed. These activities can also be modified to use as guided practice, independent practice, or performance assessments.
|
Teaching Activities:
|
Activity #1: No Commas Needed
|
Ask students to correctly punctuate the following sentences:
The student who joined the team most recently is the one who will be cut first
We will call someone in your household as soon as an appointment becomes available
All the students that appear on this roster are supposed to receive proficient and distinguished scores
The gold fish has a lengthy life expectancy as long as it is kept totally free from disease
The only punctuation needed is the period at the end of each sentence. The number of commas a student adds will give you an idea of the comma rules that he/she may not have mastered.
|
Activity 2: I Love My Editor
|
Utilize a passage from a novel, short story, or other reading that your students are currently studying in class. Retype the passage inserting commas randomly, especially between verbs and direct objects. Have students in pairs become an editor of the piece. Students take turns finding mistakes with the help of their partner. (Giving students different colored writing utensils will help you be sure that both partners are contributing equally to the assignment.)
After students have corrected the passage, have them locate the original and compare their editing choices with the author’s.
|
Activity #3: I’m a Star
|
Typing the word “comma” in the YouTube search bar will bring up many bad classroom videos of students teaching various comma rules. Choose a couple for your students to view, then challenge them to create their own video that would be much better quality than the ones you have shown them.
Have students present their videos to the class…or put them on YouTube.
|
Activity #4: That’s What They’re Singing?
|
Give students copies of appropriate song lyrics with extra commas inserted, especially between verbs and direct objects. Have students delete unnecessary commas. (Option: Let students listen to the song as they are working. Discuss the idea that a comma usually means a pause, and critique the singer’s accuracy in following the punctuation in the lyrics.)
Extension: Have students perform the song in two different ways – once as it is normally performed and secondly as it is punctuated. This provides a great connection to the Arts & Humanities curriculum.
|
Additional Resources
|
|
Usage & Mechanics
|
Skill #2: Conventions of Punctuation: Modifying the Modifier
|
LEARNING TARGET(S):
I can delete commas between the final adjective and the noun it describes
|
College Readiness Standards: Conventions of Punctuation: (16-19) Delete commas that disturb the sentence flow (e.g., between the modifier and modified element)
|
Kentucky Academic Standards:
L.CCR.1- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
L.CCR.2- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation and spelling when writing.
W.CCR.5- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach
|
FOR THE TEACHER:
These are extension activities as this learning target addresses the 16-19 range of ACT CRS.
Depending on the level of need in the classroom, the following information could be used as direct instruction.
THE RULE: Commas are used to separate two or more adjectives which equally modify the same noun.
Example: Many intelligent, well-educated meteorologists are predicting very heavy snows this winter.
Intelligent and well-educated are separated by a comma because they modify meteorologists equally.
Example: It is possible that students will wake up one cold December morning to find that school has been cancelled.
Cold and December do not modify morning equally, so there is no comma needed.
Easy tips to help you decide if the adjectives are equally modifying the noun.
**Switch the order of the adjectives. If the sentence is still clear, the adjectives modify equally and a comma is needed between them.
**Add the word and between the adjectives. If the sentence still flows, then use a comma when the and is left out.
The Rule: NO COMMA separates the last adjective from the noun.
Not every activity needs to be utilized in each lesson. Teacher may select 1-2 before, during and after reading activities to frame the unit. Remember, teachers need to choose the tools/activities below purposefully based on student and instructional need.
|
Teaching Activities:
|
Activity #1: The Challenging, Exciting Comma!
|
Have students delete unnecessary commas from the following sentences:
Saint Bernards are large, energetic, dogs.
Dogs are intelligent, loyal, playful, pets.
The, cold, bitter, wind blew through the frozen, tundra.
This book describes the busy, exciting, lives, of middle school students.
The, fragile, colorful, wings of the butterfly are beautiful.
The movie is about an adventurous, athletic, girl who was a victim of a shark attack.
Lunch today included cold, runny, mashed, potatoes.
Justin Beiber’s cool, new, song has a sad, mysterious, melody.
The Beta Club had a long, boring meeting last week.
10. Halloween Express has lots of new, scary, cheap, costumes
|
Activity 2: It’s My Turn
|
Have students work in pairs. Student #1 writes a sentence that includes adjectives describing a noun. Student #2 correctly punctuates the sentence. Then students reverse roles and continue until each has written and punctuated five sentences.
|
Additional Resources
|
|
Usage & Mechanics
|
Skill #3: Conventions of Punctuation: Using Serial Commas
|
LEARNING TARGET(S):
I can punctuate with commas to separate items or actions written in a series
|
College Readiness Standards: Conventions of Punctuation: (16-19) Provide appropriate punctuation in a straightforward situations (e.g., items in a series)
|
Kentucky Academic Standards:
L.CCR.1- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking
L.CCR.2- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation and spelling when writing.
W.CCR.5- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach
|
FOR THE TEACHER:
These are extension activities as this learning target addresses the 16-19 range of ACT CRS. The activities in this lesson are adapted from the High School Transition Course.
THE RULE: Use a comma to separate items in a series (3 or more).
Example: She whacked the ball, flung the bat, and sprinted to first base.
The last comma before the “and” is sometimes called the Oxford comma. It is considered unnecessary by some, but is generally still thought best practice in grammar instruction.
The serial comma can be connected to the power of three. Though lists may have more than three items, most often they consist of, indeed, the magical three. The three-item pattern seems balanced because we have heard it when we have read aloud lists for as long as lists have been made.
In Jeff Anderson’s work, he discusses the fact that he realized his students needed some quick editing skills. He describes a process that he calls “Developing a Writer’s Eye With How’d They Do It?”
DEVELOPING A WRITER’S EYE WITH HOW’D THEY DO IT?
I show one or more sentences that model and the pattern of study, such as serial commas.
I have the students look at a correct sentence, noticing all it has to offer.
Then, one by one, I uncover each sentence so that only one sentence at a time is in view.
I make only one or two changes in each version, training their writer’s eyes as their visual memory and acuity are primed.
Students mentally compare and contrast each version and hypothesize reasons for the choices the writer made in his or her original sentence or sentences.
UNCOVERING HOW WRITERS COMMUNICATE WITH READERS
How’d They Do It?
His room smelled of cooked grease, Lysol, and age.
------------Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)
His room smelled of cooked grease Lysol, and age.
His room smelled.
His room smelled of cooked grease, lysol, and age.
His room smell of cooked grease, Lysol, and age.
His room smelled off cooked grease, Lysol, and age.
After seeing the correct sentence, students are asked to identify what has changed as each sentence is uncovered separately.
|
Teaching Activities:
|
Activity #1: Make a List
|
His room smelled of cooked grease, Lysol, and age.
---------Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)
Serial commas are a great pattern with which to begin the school year. Making lists often helps students generate ideas for writing and reading. The beginning of the year is also a great place to begin the conversation with students regarding sensory details in their writing. Serial commas help combine sentences and expand ideas by using sensory detail---specific nouns or vivid verbs.
Post the sentence above from Maya Angelou. Invite students to notice something about the sentence. Hopefully they will begin to notice things like “it has commas” or “it describes a room”. It would be my luck that they wouldn’t notice any of those things…so I would have to “guide” them to notice the commas and question what the commas are doing. I might also raise a question like, “What if she had just said the room smelled bad, or the room smells like stuff?” Once a comparison begins, students begin to see and name the attributes that make the sentence work. Discussion of the sentence leads to a discussion about how the list of particular smells lets the reader experience the room. Students begin to see that lists can be one way of adding specifics and details to our writing.
|
Activity #2: Theme and Variation
|
The school kitchen smelled of French fried potatoes, canned peaches, and crabby lunch ladies.
--------Mrs. Corbin’s Writer’s Notebook (2007)
This is my imitation of Maya Angelou’s sentence. Ask students to compare my sentence with Angelou’s sentence. They say things like:
“You both talk about smells.”
“You use different stuff, but they are both about the smells of a room.”
“Good point,” I say. “That is an important observation. I can’t use the same things as Angelou, or I would be copying. Instead, I am imitating because I use her structure, but my own stuff.”
This leads to an interesting conversation regarding “copying” versus “imitating”. We discuss the fact that I imitate the structure, but the sentence contents are all mine. I ask students to notice how I imitate Angelou’s structure. Next we make a template for them to practice their imitation skills.
_____________ smells of__________, ______________, and ______________.
(place) (list of at least 3 things)
Use this graphic to help students see the underlying pattern being imitated. Show them how they can use a structure to shape their own ideas.
Invite the students to imitate the structure in their Writer’s Notebooks. Invite students to match the structure, but add their own details, which in turn reveal their individual voices. You might even play some music for them as they write…something like “That Smell” by Lynrd Skynyrd or other songs about using the sense of smell. I am sure the students can name a few.
|
Activity #3: Imitation = Flattery
|
Offer students other sentences that use the serial comma and ask them to imitate the structures of those sentences. Here are a few suggestions:
Her cleats, shin pads, and sweats were in her backpack, slung over her shoulder and heavy with homework.
--------Peter Abrahams, Down the Rabbit Hole (2006)
I walked back to my room wet and dried myself with a pair of jeans. I put on long underwear, pants, a long-sleeved shirt, shoes, and my parka. I stood in front of the heater.
--------Willy Vlautin, The Motel Life (2007)
Then I heard a scrape, a thud, and a yelp.
--------Byars, Duffy, and Meyers, The SOS File (2004)
The last sentence listed above offers students an opportunity to think about how describing what you hear upon entering a space can really offer interesting effects for a piece of writing. It pushes their inferring skills, too. It makes for a great sentence structure for students to imitate.
If you want to use a children’s picture book, The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant (2000) is a great one. Lots of serial commas!
|
Activity #4: Combo
|
Stacey and I had been friends since pretty much forever. We wore the same size, liked the same movies, told the same lies. There were stretches every summer when we were almost inseparable.
------------Jennifer Brown, Hate List (2009)
Uncombine the sentence from Hate List for students. Hand the pieces out to groups and have them recombine them:
We wore the same size.
We liked the same movies.
We told the same lies.
It is best to start off simple when introducing sentence combining. It is easy to move to more complex sentences and ideas after students get the hang of the combining exercise. Since the focus for these lessons is the serial comma, the sentence above can be easily divided and combined. Ask students to combine the simple sentences and then share and compare how they did this in their small groups. Try more sentences.
I watched him open the door, slip back inside, close the door behind him.
-----------Matt De Le Pena, We Were Here (2009)
I watched him open the door.
I watched him slip back inside.
I watched him close the door behind him.
You could have students gather sentences to share with the class for this activity from their Independent Reading books or from class texts. This activity can happen as an opening activity over several days, just a few minutes each day to get the students thinking about how the serial comma works and how writers use this tool to impact the text for readers.
|
Activity #5: It’s Your Turn (Extension)
|
Continue to compare and contrast sentences to clarify differences. Often students get the impression that any time they see and or or, they need a comma. You can use the Tony Johnston sentence below as an example of a sentence that has and, but does not require the comma for separation. The and serves as the separation in this pair.
The gym smells like melting hair spray and aftershave.
------------Tony Johnston, Any Small Goodness (2003)
Ask students to revise this sentence using a serial comma. Of course, they will need to add details to the sentence to make it necessary to use a series of commas. As students share their rewrites, be sure to clarify that a list is three or more things or actions. This may require that you clarify that sometimes a comma is used to separate pairs of adjectives. You may also need to clarify that sometimes lists are done in other ways: with a colon, with bullets, with numbering, or with outlining.
Before I do anything else, I need to go back over everything that has happened this summer: the Big Mistake, the old man, the book, the lamp, the telescope, and this box, which started it all.
--------Wendy Mass, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life (2006)
Chewing on the end of my pencil, I got back to my list, which Gram said was one of the things I did best. I had all kinds of lists in my notebook, the shortest being “Things I am Good At,” which consisted of 1) Soap carving, 2) Worrying, and 3) Making lists.
------------Pam Munoz Ryan, Becoming Naomi (2004)
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Additional Resources
|
http://www.dailygrammar.com/emails/Lesson%20347.htm
http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/punctuation.html
http://www.santarosa.edu/~jroyal/punctuation/commas/commas.html
|
Appendix:
Instructional Resources
Title
|
Pg #
|
Strategies for Teaching Grammar in Context
|
94
|
College Readiness Indicators
|
96
|
Instructional Resources for Writing
|
101
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Strategies for Teaching for Grammar in Context
|
No.
|
Description
| |
1
|
Lift a sentence(s) from an article, a piece of literature (a mentor text) and identify an effective use of a particular punctuation mark(s). Discuss with students why the punctuation is effective. Have students write their own sentence(s) using the same punctuation. Have students look through their writing for places they might use the same punctuation.
| |
2
|
Lift a sentence(s) from an article or piece of literature (a mentor text) and leave out a punctuation mark that has been taught or create a usage error that students should know. Have students correct the error. Have students write their own sentences using the same correct pattern of punctuation or usage. Have students look through their own writing for places where they might have made the same error(s) to correct the error(s).
| |
3
|
With student permission, lift a sentence from student writing and imitate its mistake (whether it is a frequently-made error or a point you need to make). Have students correct the error. Have students write using the same corrected punctuated or word usage. Have students look through their own writing for places where they might have made the same error(s) to correct the error(s).
| |
4
|
Once a particular grammar skill/mechanics/usage issue has been taught, have student find the rule/usage in a mentor text and bring it to class. Students should discuss why the punctuation was used effectively and look at their own writing to make certain they have made the corrections/edits as needed.
| |
5
|
Continually collect sentences, paragraphs, etc. that provide great examples of mentor texts so you have samples readily available when you need them.
|
Strategies for Teaching Revision
| |
1
|
Think of revision as an ongoing process throughout the writing process instead of the last step in the writing process. For example, by the time a topic is chosen, students have already revised and eliminated the first few topics they considered to land on the current topic. During prewriting, the students are revising as they write these facts about the topic and not those facts, etc. Teaching students that revision is on-going makes revision a much easier process.
| |
2
|
Use the concept of literature circles as “revision circles.” Each student gets a role to look at when peer-editing student work. One student may be the comma corrector, another may be the usage person, yet another might look for complete sentences. Students review rules for their “part” of the peer editing process and read student work for that concern/issue.
| |
3
|
Teach students the steps of the revision process with their writing. Students start with re-examining the “vision” of the writing (topic, approach, voice, point of view, direction the writing is going, etc.); then they should re-visit organization (structure, order, argument); they should then edit for style (syntax, imagery, clarity) and THEN do the proofreading (grammar).
See resource “The Revision Cone” Gilmore, Barry. Is It Done Yet? Teaching Adolescents the Art of Revision. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2007, p 9.
| |
4
|
Teach students to economize on language. Students often use long phrases when they can use one or two words to say the same things. Teach students to recognize the worst offenders like ‘due to the fact that,’ ‘this is the reason why,’ ‘despite the fact that.’
See resource. Gilmore, Barry. Is It Done Yet? Teaching Adolescents the Art of Revision.
Portsmouth, Heinemann, 2007.
| |
5
|
Help students identify one or two areas that they could focus on during revision that would benefit them most. Have them color-code their papers with each issue/concern so they can zero in on that issue/concern during revision.
| |
6
|
Cut and paste (revision of organization)—Have students cut apart sentences from their paragraphs or paragraphs from their writing samples and have them rearrange the sentences/paragraphs to make certain they are in the best order.
|
Council on Post-Secondary Education
College Readiness Indicators 1,2
Beginning fall 2012, all public postsecondary institutions in Kentucky will use the following benchmarks as college readiness indicators. Upon admission to a public postsecondary institution, students scoring at or above the scores indicated will not be required to complete developmental, supplemental, or transitional coursework and will be allowed entry into college credit-bearing coursework that counts toward degree credit requirements.
Readiness Score Area
|
ACT Score
|
SAT Score
|
COMPASS
|
KYOTE
|
English (Writing)
|
English
18 or higher
|
Writing
430 or higher
|
Writing
74 or higher 3,4
|
6 or higher5
|
Reading
|
Reading
20 or higher
|
Critical Reading
470 or higher
|
Reading
85 or higher6
|
20 or higher
|
Mathematics (General Education, Liberal Arts Courses)
|
Mathematics 19 or higher
|
Mathematics
460 or higher
|
Algebra Domain
36 or higher7
|
College Readiness Mathematics
22 or higher
|
Mathematics (College Algebra)
|
Mathematics 22 or higher
|
Mathematics
510 or higher
|
Algebra Domain
50 or higher8
|
College Algebra
14 or higher9
|
Mathematics (Calculus)
|
Mathematics 27 or higher
|
Mathematics
610 or higher
|
NA10
|
Calculus TBA
|
Institutional admission policies are comprised of many factors including, but not limited to high school completion or a general education equivalency diploma (GED), high school coursework, ACT or SAT scores, high school GPA, class rank, an admission essay or interview, submission of an academic and/or civic activity portfolio, etc. Placement exam results are used for course placement after a student is admitted to a postsecondary institution.
A COMPASS or KYOTE placement test score will be guaranteed as an indicator of college readiness for 12 months from the date the placement exam is administered.
An Asset writing score of 43 or higher indicates readiness. Asset is the paper-pencil version of COMPASS.
COMPASS E-Write scores of 9 on a 12 point scale or 6 on an 8 point scale indicate readiness.
A common rubric will be used to score the KYOTE Writing Essay. The rubric has an eight point scale. A score of 6 is needed to demonstrate readiness.
An Asset reading score of 44 or higher indicates readiness. Asset is the paper-pencil version of COMPASS.
An Asset Elementary Algebra Score of 41 or an Intermediate Algebra score of 39 indicates readiness for a general education course, typically in the social sciences.
An Asset elementary algebra score of 46 or an intermediate algebra score of 43 indicates readiness for college algebra.
For the 2011-12 school year a KYOTE College Readiness Mathematics Placement score of 27 or higher will be used to indicate readiness for College Algebra. For the 2012-13 and beyond, only the KYOTE College Algebra placement test score of 14 or higher will be used to indicate readiness for College Algebra.
There is not a COMPASS or Asset indicator for Calculus readiness.
By fall 2012, the following learning outcomes will be included in developmental, transitional, and supplemental coursework and intervention programming supporting college readiness.
WRITING
Transitional, developmental, and supplemental education writing courses objectives:
Generate essays using a variety of modes to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Produce clear, grammatically correct, and coherent writing in which the development, organization, style, usage, and diction are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Develop and strengthen writing through the recursive processes of planning, drafting, revising, editing, or trying a new approach.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
Conduct a short inquiry-based research project, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each
source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (on demand or single sitting) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Courses from public postsecondary institutions that meet the writing readiness learning outcomes:
KCTCS—ENC 091
Eastern Kentucky University—ENG 095
Kentucky State University—ENG 099
Morehead State University—ENG 099
Murray State University—ENG 100
Northern Kentucky University—ENGD 090
Western Kentucky University—DENG 055
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville
READING
Transitional, developmental, and supplemental education reading courses objectives:
Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific
textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting
details and ideas.
Analyze how and why ideas develop over the course of a text.
Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text
relate to each other and the whole.
Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as
well as in words.
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to compare the approaches the authors take or to build knowledge.
Read and comprehend texts independently and proficiently.
Courses from public postsecondary institutions that meet the reading readiness learning outcomes:
KCTCS—RDG 030 or CMS 185 or RDG 041
Eastern Kentucky University—ENR 095 or ENR 116
Kentucky State University—ENG 103
Morehead State University—EDEL 097
Murray State University—REA 100
Northern Kentucky University—RDG 091 or RDG 110
Western Kentucky University—DRDG 080 or LTCY 199
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville—GEN 105
Council on Post-Secondary Education
Writing Scoring Rubric
8
|
An "8 paper" offers a clear, meaningful approach to the assigned topic and supports the approach with meaningful details and clarifying elaboration/ examples. Clear organization is apparent through paragraphs and transition signals with strong topic sentences and a strong closing passage. Sentence structure is fluent and coherent including style and effectiveness. Word choice is almost always accurate and demonstrates an advanced vocabulary. Paper flows nicely, addresses thoughts logically and succinctly, and writer’s voice is clear. Any proofreading mistakes and some errors in standard written English (such as in sentence structure. verb and pronoun use, punctuation. spelling, and capitalization), are minimal and do not hamper communication.
|
7
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A "7 paper" offers a clear, meaningful approach to the assigned topic and supports the approach with meaningful details and fairly helpful elaboration/ examples. Clear organization is apparent through paragraphs and transition signals. Sentence structure is fluent and coherent including style and effectiveness. Word choice is almost always accurate and demonstrates a strong vocabulary. Paper flows nicely, addresses thoughts logically and succinctly, and writer’s voice is clear. Any proofreading mistakes and some errors in standard written English (such as in sentence structure. verb and pronoun use, punctuation. spelling, and capitalization), are minimal and do not hamper communication.
|
6
|
A "6 paper" offers a clear, meaningful approach to the assigned topic and supports the approach with meaningful details. Clear organization is apparent through paragraphs and transition signals. Sentence structure is overall fluent and coherent. Word choice is mostly accurate and demonstrates an appropriate vocabulary. There may be some proofreading mistakes and occasional errors in standard written English, but these do not significantly hamper communication.
|
5
|
A “5 paper” offers clear, approach to the assigned topic and supports the approach with details of varying quality. Organization is apparent through paragraphs and transition signals. Sentence structure is fairly fluent and coherent. Word choice is mostly accurate. Word choice is mostly accurate. There may be some proofreading mistakes and occasional errors in standard written
English, but these do not significantly hamper communication.
|
4
|
A "4 paper" offers a somewhat clear approach to the assigned topic and moderately supports the approach. Organization is mostly apparent through paragraphs and some transition signals. Sentence structure is fairly fluent and coherent. Word choice is sometimes vague. There are likely to be proofreading mistakes and occasional errors in standard written English, but these, while noticeable, do not significantly hamper communication.
|
3
|
A "3 paper" offers an approach to the topic, but support may be inadequate or weakly organized. Sentence structure may have lapses from coherence and fluency. Word choice is sometimes vague. There are likely to be proofreading mistakes and some errors in standard written English, but these, while noticeable, do not significantly hamper communication.
|
2
|
A "2 paper" may lack a clear approach to the topic, or it may offer inadequate or
unorganized support. Sentence structure may be often confused or immature. Word choice is often vague or inaccurate. There are frequent proofreading mistakes and frequent errors in standard written English that may interfere with communication.
|
1
|
A "1 paper" may appear to lack an understanding of the topic or may fail to approach the topic with relevant support. Sentence structure may be often confused or immature. Word choice is often vague or inaccurate. There are frequent proofreading mistakes and frequent errors in standard written English that arc likely to interfere with communication.
|
Instructional Resources for English/ Language Arts
Title:
|
Author/Company
|
50 Content Area Strategies for Adolescent Literacy
|
Fisher, Douglas, Bronzo, William, Frey, Nancy, & Ivey, Gay
|
A Community of Writers: Teaching Writing in the Junior and Senior High School
|
Zemelman, Steven, & Daniels, Harvey
|
A Handbook of Content Literacy Strategies: 125 Practical Reading and Writing Ideas
|
Stephens, Elaine & Brown, Jean
|
A Quick Guide to Teaching Persuasive Writing
|
Taylor, Sarah
|
After the End: Teaching and Learning Creative Revision
|
Lane, Barry
|
Because Writing Matters
|
National Writing Project
|
Better Answers: Written Performance that Looks Good and Sounds Smart
|
Cole, Ardith
|
Boy Writers
|
Fletcher, Ralph
|
Clearing the Way: Working with Teenage Writers
|
Romano, Tom
|
Content Area Reading and Writing: Fostering Literacies in Middle and High School Cultures
|
Unrau, Norman
|
Content Area Writing: Every Teacher’s Guide
|
Daniels, Harvey, Zemelman, Steven, & Steineke, Nancy
|
Craft Lessons: Teaching Writing K-8
|
Fletcher, Ralph
|
Don’t Forget to Share: The Crucial Last Step in the Writing Workshop
|
Mermelstein, Leah
|
Everything’s an Argument
|
Lunsford, Andrea & Ruszkiewicz & Lunsford, Andrea
|
How to Give Effective Feedback to Your Students
|
Brookhart, Susan
|
How’s It Going? A Practical Guide to Conferring with Students
|
Anderson, Carl
|
Looking for an Argument: An Inquiry Course at Urban Laboratory High School
|
Teacher to Teacher
|
Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage and Style into Writing Workshop
|
Jeff Anderson
|
Non-Fiction Craft Lessons: Teaching Information Writing K-8
|
Portalupi, Joann & Fletcher, Ralph
|
One to One: The Art of Conferring with Young Writers
|
Calkins, Lucy
|
Q Tasks: How to Empower Students to Ask Questions and Care About Answers
|
Koechlin, Carol & Zwaan, Sandi
|
Reading Response that Really Matters to Middle Schoolers
|
Scholastic
|
Real Reading, Real Writing: Content Area Strategies
|
Topping, Donna & McManus, Roberta
|
Second Grade Writers: Units of Study to Help Children Focus on Audience and Purpose
|
Parsons, Stephanie
|
Teaching the Qualities of Writing
|
Portalupi, JoAnn
|
Thank You for Arguing
|
Heinrichs, Jay
|
The Good Writer’s Guide/Writer’s Workout
|
National Geographic
|
Thinking Through Genre: Units of Study in Reading and Writing Workshop 4-12
|
Lattimer, Heather
|
Tools for Teaching Content Literacy
|
Allen, Janet
|
Tools for Thought: Graphic Organizers for Your Classroom
|
Burke, Jim
|
Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone
|
Dean, Nancy
|
Write Beside Them: Risk, Voice and Clarity in High School Writing
|
Kittle, Penny
|
Writers Express: A Handbook for Young Writer’s Thinkers, and Learners
|
Kemper, Dave
|
Writing Reminders: Tools, Tips, and Techniques
|
Burke, Jim
|
Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide
|
Fletcher, Ralph
|
4/30/12 Draft 
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